Anu Pillai is DJ/Producer that can see no boundaries; this is a surprisingly rare quality in the so-called music lovers that tour the world commanding big fees. So many DJs that play dance music list all number of producers/bands as inspirations in their ‘sound’, but if you didn’t know this you could easily be mistaken that they just play Phonica’s top 10 records that month. Anu is different, he lays it all out to see in his new Bisous Bisous II CD, the follow up to the critically acclaimed 2005 released DJ mix, Misch Masch. It jumps from the neo disco of Lindstrom to the punk funk of debut Perspex signing, The Subliminal Kid. Parisian glitch wonderkid SebastiAn slams into the MIA inspiring Baile Funk of Deise Tigrona and the hugely influential Freeform Five remixes are represented by the reform of Gabriel Ananda's 'Glucksmelodie', which was previously a track of Gabriel's that was only played live until Anu convinced him to commit it to vinyl...
Keralan by birth, raised in Newcastle and now based in West London, Anu is a cross cultural musical phenomenon - a multi instrumentalist, producer and DJ who now spends much of his time traversing the globe. After several years of making revered house records for Chicago legend Derrick Carter's Classic Music label and remixing everyone from NERD to Brian Wilson, he branched out in 2005 with Freeform Five's debut artist album, 'Strangest Things'. It's an inspired mix of Prince, Blondie and Kraftwerk (thrown into the acid house blender). Adored by early adopters the world over, it started life as something of a press delight and hidden treasure which has steadily creeped towards the mainstream through word of mouth and extensive touring. The signs are that his pan-genre DJ'ing has struck a similar chord with the hippest crowds in Europe and further afield too. 2006 has seen Anu’s remixes/reforms in serious demand with Justin Timberlake and The Killers already in the bag and Snow Patrol and Scissor Sisters to be follow later in the year. And with recent tours of Australia, Japan, North & South America, it's a foregone conclusion that the unique Freeform Five sound will cross all borders as well as boundaries into 2007.
Misch Masch Quotes:
'Insiduously catchy...' - DJ magazine compilation of the issue 4.5/5
'Studded with gems and bristles with the mashing, splicing, looping
punk energy that is revitalising the art of mixing' - NME 7/10
'Inspired...Deserves to be glued in your CD player' - Time Out
'A vibe that is funky, New York and upbeat...with a hint of German sex
party bubbling away just below the surface' - Q
Strangest Things Quotes:
'Electrodiscopop perfection' - Arena
'The best pop album of the year' - Dazed and Confused
'Brash, neon uber-pop. A huge hit' - NME
'The new lords of the dancefloor' - Evening Standard
'Your new favourite album' - IDJ/Album Of The Month
'Strikingly melodic, sexy and diverse' - Update/Album Of The Week
'The most thrilling and compelling dance debut since Basement Jaxx' - Word
'An exhiliratingly vibrant 47 minutes' - Big Issue
'Sexy, funky, exciting - you shouldn't be without Strangest Things' -
MSN.co.uk
'What kind of a prick doesn't like Freeform Five?' - Jack Knife Lee (U2 and
Snow Patrol producer!)
